1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to the control of an operator's display, or LCD panel and, more specifically, to the use of dual function buttons or switches on a throttle control mechanism to allow an operator to select display characteristics by manipulating buttons or switches attached to the throttle control mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of remote control throttle mechanisms are known to those skilled in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,555, which issued to Rauchle et al on Jun. 7, 1977, discloses an engine transmission and speed control with a warm up interlock apparatus. A single lever manual control for marine propulsion units includes a shift gear train and a throttle gear train mounted in side-by-side coaxial relation on a rotating input shaft with the trains terminating in shift lever and throttle lever outputs respectively. Push-pull cable units couple the levers to the engine. The throttle cable has an outer sleeve pivotally mounted by a pivot arm with a pivot axis adjacent the outer wall of the control housing. A key extends through the input shaft into a shift gear having a direct drive notch and an adjacent circumferentially enlarged warm up notch. A warm up button is connected to a rod which engages one edge of the key. A spring loaded pin within the shaft engages the opposite key face to resiliently establish the direct drive connection. The button is depressed and forces the rod and key into the warm up notch and the pin into an opening into a shift lever to prevent rotation thereof. The opening and pin are only aligned in neutral. A neutral start switch and a reverse lock solenoid switch are mounted adjacent a cam on a gear on the throttle gear train. Trim control switches in the lever are connected to a tubular connector unit within the shaft and have output leads wound about the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,186, which issued to Choudhury et al on Oct. 10, 1978, describes a single lever control having a throttle warm up lever. The single lever control for the throttle and clutch of a marine propulsion device includes a housing pivotally supporting both a main control lever and an auxiliary warm up lever, a throttle lever, and a gear shift lever. The throttle lever is alternately operable to regulate the setting of a remotely located engine throttle in response to movement of either the main control lever from a neutral position or the warm up lever from an idle position. The gear shift lever is operable to shift an engine clutch in response to initial movement of the main control lever from the neutral position. A lock out lever mounted inside the housing cooperates with a lock out plate carried by the warm up lever and with a recessed, arcuate surface on the gear shift lever to prevent movement of the warm up lever when the main control lever is displaced from the neutral position and to prevent movement of the main control lever when the warm up lever is displaced from the idle position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,349, which issued to Floeter et al on Mar. 3, 1981, discloses a control unit for marine engines which employ a neutral lock mechanism. A control unit for an engine of the type having a shift means for shifting between forward, neutral, and reverse and a throttle means for controlling engine speeds between idle and high speed includes a housing and a control handle rotatably supported at one end by the housing. Shift and throttle cables extend between the engine and the housing, and respond to rotation of the handle to control the engine shifting and throttle during portions of the period of rotation of the handle. A lock rod extends through the handle and is adapted at one end to alternatively engage and disengage with the housing, and when engaged with the housing, prevents the rotation of the handle from a position corresponding to neutral and idle throttle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,820, which issued to Floeter on Jan. 3, 1989, discloses a marine drive twin lever remote control with an interlock override. A twin lever control actuator operates push-pull cables and has two sets of pulleys on opposite sides of a control body. Interlock structure normally prevents movement of the shift lever and its cable when the throttle lever and its cable are in a high speed position and with operator applying normal force to the shift lever. Override structure permits movement of the shift lever and its cable with the throttle lever in a high speed position when the operator applies an abnormally high force to the shift lever, to enable emergency high speed shifting including from forward to reverse, to facilitate rapid deceleration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,122, which issued to Okita on Mar. 10, 1992, describes a remote control system. The remote control system is provided for transmitting control movement to a controlled member, such as a throttle or transmission control lever, on a marine propulsion unit from a preselected one of a plurality of remote control units each of which has an operator movable between a plurality of positions. A remote control mechanism has at least one slidably supported control element operatively connected to each of the operators for linear reciprocation of the control elements upon movement of the respective operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,466, which issued to Nagafusa on Jun. 7, 1994, describes a remote control device for marine propulsion units. A remote control device incorporates a remote control lever for the shifting and throttle operations of a marine propulsion unit. A shift range exists in the central region of lever movement where only shift operations can take place, and once the remote control lever has passed through the above mentioned specific movement range, it is in a throttle range wherein its movement can control only the throttle. The remote control device includes a throttle drive control arrangement which opens and closes the throttle valve in relation to the operation of the above mentioned remote control lever in a manner which depends upon an operator selected operational mode made via a mode select switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,493, which issued to Ohkita on Feb. 20, 1996, describes a remote control device for a marine propulsion unit. The remote control operator for a marine propulsion transmission and throttle control that is operated by a single control lever is disclosed. The single control lever's position is sensed and a single servomotor is operated which operates both the transmission control and the throttle control through a cam and follower mechanism. A warm up control is also incorporated that permits partial opening of the throttle for warm up operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,022, which issued to Koike et al on Jun. 10, 1997, describes a switch apparatus for a marine propulsion unit. A control switch assembly for utilization with marine propulsion units to be mounted in, for example, the single lever housing of the transmission and throttle control is disclosed. The switch assembly includes a sealed outer housing providing at least two cavities for containing switches and a hard wire interconnection to an external terminal for connection to a wire harness.
The patents described above are hereby explicitly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.
The control mechanisms for a marine vessel, such as a pleasure boat, have become technically sophisticated in recent years. The operator of a marine vessel is now provided with various types of visual displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCD's), which provide vessel-related information to the operator. These displays are often provided with many optional formats and screens, which can be selected by the operator, and which show various parameter statuses relating to devices used on the marine vessel. Therefore, in addition to the standard controls, such as throttle control and shift control, the marine vessel operator now uses additional switches, pushbuttons, and actuators to select the desired visual display on the liquid crystal display module. It would therefore be significantly beneficial if a convenient structure could be provided in which fewer control switches are required and in which the marine vessel operator had easy and quick access to the display controls without having to remove the operator's hand from the shift and speed control mechanism.